"The aim of medicines reconciliation on hospital admission is to ensure that medicines prescribed on admission correspond to those that the patient was taking before admission. Establishing correct medications details may involve discussion with the patient and/or carers and the use of records from primary care. "

 

In some countries this process also includes a review of the Patients Own Drugs (PODs). Medicines Reconciliation should occur on admission, on transfer and on discharge. This workshop will focus on medicines reconciliation on admission because this is a complex area as information from primary care and patients and/or carers is not always easy to obtain. Furthermore, patients do not always use their medicines the way their health professionals think.

 

Our experiences of achieving medicines reconciliation have involved the use of quality improvement tools (for example the "Safer Patients Initiative" involving the use of the Model for Improvement and PDSA (plan, do study, act) cycles. Typically, this can begin on one ward, followed by ongoing tests of change, measurement and displaying run charts to spread and embed medicines reconciliation.

 

Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians thanks to their expertise and training have an opportunity to help lower the burden of medication discrepancies through their input in Medicines Reconciliation.

 

 

• To present why Medication Reconciliation on admission is important in health care settings (showing the evidence, benefits, cost savings);

• To demonstrate how to implement Medication Reconciliation on admission in a hospital setting; how to measure the process, demonstrate improvements and engage collaboration with the multidisciplinary team;

• To present the key factors to gain the support to spread and embed in an organisation.

 

 

Participants should be able:

 

• to describe the importance of Medication Reconciliation process;

• to present the principles and strategies to spread and measure the improvements in Medication Reconciliation beyond pilot unit;

• to recognise the pharmacist and pharmacy technician's role in this process.